Fort Belknap Indian Reservation (Montana): Difference between revisions

On June 18, 1934, the Indian Reorganization Act was passed. It was reported that the Office of Indian Affairs was considering plans to add land to Rocky Boys Reservation. The office of Indian Affairs was also considering adding land to Fort Belknap Reservation in 1934 and purchasing a tract of land near Great Falls for the Chippewa's who lived in at least 5 Chippewa villages around Great Falls.  

What they probably did in 1934, was reduce the size of Fort Belknap Reservation, Rocky Boys Reservation, and the Chippewa Reservation adjacent to Great Falls on the west. They did leave considerable land. Around 80,000 acres for Rocky Boys Reservation and either 34,000 acres or 74,000 acres for Fort Belknap Reservation. You must remember that the United States added land to Fort Belknap Reservation in 1909. You must also remember that before Rocky Boys Reservation was created in 1916, Fort Assiniboine Indian Reservation was already located where Rocky Boys Reservation is. Fort Assiniboine Indian Reservation originally covered around 1,000 sq. mi. Before 1893, it was reduced to probably 500,000 acres.  

So both Fort Belknap Reservation and Rocky Boys Reservation, were probably reduced in size in 1934. Fort Belknap Reservation lost the most land. Nearly 2,500 sq. mi. Rocky Boys Reservation was reduced from around 500,000 acres to around 156,000 acres.  

And another fact about 1934, is the land addition to Navajo Reservation. On the Navajo Reservation land addition map, the land added on in 1934, is located in the extreme southern part of Navajo Reservation. If the land added on to Navajo Reservation in 1934, was for the Chippewa's from the Great Falls region, Fort Belknap Reservation, and Rocky Boys Reservation, we don't know how many were relocated to their new Reservations added on to Navajo Reservation in 1934.